Happy Publication To Me!
So my latest novel KILL FOR IT is out in paperback TODAY, published by Sphere Books. Here’s a short overview of what the book is about, plus my inspiration for it. Let’s go!
1) Kill For It is set in Bristol, UK
I noticed SO MANY crime fiction books are set in London, so decided to go for something a little different. I chose Bristol because I live nearby, plus it was in the news when I was beginning my outline.
With a population of almost half a million, Bristol is the UK’s fourteenth biggest city. It is also known for its culture, plus the toppling of the infamous slave-trader Edward Colston statue during the 2020 BLM protests.
2) It features not one, but two enigmatic female leads
The story pits young and upcoming journalist Cat against veteran reporter Erin. Cat is tired of not getting ahead at work, so comes up with a sickening plan to (literally!) grab the headlines. The only one who can stop her is Erin, but in doing so she must put her own life at risk.
3) The story draws on my own experience as a junior reporter in the late 90s/00s
I was a junior reporter back in the late 90s/00s, just like Cat in Kill For It. I wrote for a variety of publications and sites … though I DIDN’T kill anyone (Honest!).
4) Cat is an ANTIHERO
If you follow my writing site Bang2write, then you’ll know I am OBSESSED with antiheroes. I had to work hard to balance Cat’s repugnant actions with her REASONS for doing what she does. This is because female serial killers rarely kill JUST for the thrill of it … They have justifications behind their (terrible) actions.
5) The story is for ALL women …
Its dedication reads “For every woman who has been talked over, mansplained, gaslit, guilt-tripped, manipulated, whispered about, condemned or told she’s ‘not enough’ AND ‘too much’ … this is for you.”
6) … Because women CAN’T have it all!
When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, I was told ‘women can have it all’ in terms of careers AND families … Yet this hasn’t been my experience. As a mother for over half my life now, I know how hard it is for women to juggle work and their responsibilities … Even when we manage it, it’s frequently held against us. After all, men STILL don’t get asked about their families or caring commitments like we do!
7) Men are not the enemy in Kill For It
The book takes aim at the SYSTEM, not men. Whilst there’s at least one male character who is THE ABSOLUTE WORST, the point is not that men *as a whole* suck. Even female characters who try and play the system will lose their conscience and their humanity.
8) It was inspired in part by Killing Eve, s1 …
I was lucky enough to interview Luke Jennings, author of the Killing Eve novellas, for LondonSWF365 in 2020. He told me and the LSFers all about his work on the books and helping Phoebe Waller-Bridge with s1 of the acclaimed BBC TV series.
As an admirer of the psychopathic Villanelle, this lit the touchpaper in my imagination … so I was delighted when a beta reader proclaimed Cat was ‘Villanelle’s twisted little sister’!
9) … and by Dan Gilroy’s masterly Oscar-nominated dark thriller Nightcrawler (2014)
Nightcrawler is one of my favourite movies. In the film, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work. He manages to muscle his way into the world of LA crime journalism where he blurs the line between reality on the stories he is reporting on.
Whilst Cat’s journey is different, the seed of the story is similar: in attempting to smash the glass ceiling, Cat will plumb depths NO decent human should ever go to.
10) It’s my second full-length novel as Lizzie Fry
I was delighted by the success of my first novel as Lizzie, The Coven. Readers’ response was beyond my wildest dreams, plus it was translated in multiple languages … But this meant I feared getting ‘second album syndrome’ (where artistes do well for the first album and then crash and burn for the second).
I am proud of KILL FOR IT though and beta readers seem to like it … so hopefully the rest of you will, too!
Buy Kill For It NOW!
Kill For It is out now, available on Amazon and via all good bookshops.
As with The Coven, I will be doing signed copies via Liznojan Books, Tiverton ONLY.
So if you want to grab yours, contact them by clicking on the link above.
